Novel Psychiatric Therapeutics
Psychedelic-assisted therapy, muscarinic antipsychotics, neurosteroids, rapid-acting antidepressants and accelerated neuromodulation.
Most influential
- Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial
Cancer patients often develop chronic, clinically significant symptoms of depression and anxiety. Previous studies suggest that psilocybin may decrease depression and anxiety in cancer patients. The effects of psilocybin were studied in 51 cancer patients with life-threatening diagnoses and symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. This randomized, double-blind…
Abstract excerpt by Roland R. Griffiths et al., CC-BY, https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881116675513; truncated.
Article2,200 citationsdoi:10.1177/0269881116675513 - Trial of Psilocybin versus Escitalopram for DepressionArticle1,390 citationsdoi:10.1056/nejmoa2032994
- Rapid and sustained symptom reduction following psilocybin treatment for anxiety and depression in patients with life-threatening cancer: a randomized controlled trial
BACKGROUND: Clinically significant anxiety and depression are common in patients with cancer, and are associated with poor psychiatric and medical outcomes. Historical and recent research suggests a role for psilocybin to treat cancer-related anxiety and depression. METHODS: In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial, 29 patients with cancer-r…
Abstract excerpt by Stephen Ross et al., CC-BY, https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881116675512; truncated.
Article1,697 citationsdoi:10.1177/0269881116675512 - Single-Dose Psilocybin for a Treatment-Resistant Episode of Major DepressionArticle1,166 citationsdoi:10.1056/nejmoa2206443
- Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: an open-label feasibility study
BACKGROUND: Psilocybin is a serotonin receptor agonist that occurs naturally in some mushroom species. Recent studies have assessed the therapeutic potential of psilocybin for various conditions, including end-of-life anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and smoking and alcohol dependence, with promising preliminary results. Here, we aimed to investigate …
Abstract excerpt by Robin Lester Carhart-Harris et al., CC-BY, https://doi.org/10.1016/s2215-0366(16)30065-7; truncated.
Article1,538 citationsdoi:10.1016/s2215-0366(16)30065-7 - Effects of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy on Major Depressive Disorder
Importance: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a substantial public health burden, but current treatments have limited effectiveness and adherence. Recent evidence suggests that 1 or 2 administrations of psilocybin with psychological support produces antidepressant effects in patients with cancer and in those with treatment-resistant depression. Objective: T…
Abstract excerpt by Alan K. Davis et al., CC-BY, https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.3285; truncated.
Article1,300 citationsdoi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.3285 - Pilot Study of Psilocybin Treatment for Anxiety in Patients With Advanced-Stage CancerArticle1,205 citationsdoi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.116
- Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: six-month follow-up
RATIONALE: Recent clinical trials are reporting marked improvements in mental health outcomes with psychedelic drug-assisted psychotherapy. OBJECTIVES: Here, we report on safety and efficacy outcomes for up to 6 months in an open-label trial of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression. METHODS: Twenty patients (six females) with (mostly) severe, unipola…
Abstract excerpt by Robin Lester Carhart-Harris et al., CC-BY, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-017-4771-x; truncated.
Article970 citationsdoi:10.1007/s00213-017-4771-x - Single-Dose Psilocybin Treatment for Major Depressive DisorderArticle544 citationsdoi:10.1001/jama.2023.14530
- REBUS and the Anarchic Brain: Toward a Unified Model of the Brain Action of Psychedelics
This paper formulates the action of psychedelics by integrating the free-energy principle and entropic brain hypothesis. We call this formulation relaxed beliefs under psychedelics (REBUS) and the anarchic brain, founded on the principle that-via their entropic effect on spontaneous cortical activity-psychedelics work to relax the precision of high-level pri…
Abstract excerpt by Carhart-Harris RL et al., CC-BY, https://doi.org/10.1124/pr.118.017160; truncated.
Review711 citationsdoi:10.1124/pr.118.017160 - Quality of Acute Psychedelic Experience Predicts Therapeutic Efficacy of Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression
Introduction: It is a basic principle of the ‘psychedelic’ treatment model that the quality of the acute experience mediates long-term improvements in mental health. In the present paper we sought to test this using data from a clinical trial assessing psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). In line with previous reports, we hypothesized that th…
Abstract excerpt by Leor Roseman et al., CC-BY, https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2017.00974; truncated.
Article808 citationsdoi:10.3389/fphar.2017.00974 - The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs
Entropy is a dimensionless quantity that is used for measuring uncertainty about the state of a system but it can also imply physical qualities, where high entropy is synonymous with high disorder. Entropy is applied here in the context of states of consciousness and their associated neurodynamics, with a particular focus on the psychedelic state. The psyche…
Abstract excerpt by Carhart-Harris RL et al., CC-BY, https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00020; truncated.
Article716 citationsdoi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00020 - Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy vs Placebo in the Treatment of Adult Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Importance Although classic psychedelic medications have shown promise in the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD), the efficacy of psilocybin remains unknown. Objective To evaluate whether 2 administrations of high-dose psilocybin improve the percentage of heavy drinking days in patients with AUD undergoing psychotherapy relative to outcomes observed wit…
Abstract excerpt by Bogenschutz MP et al., CC-BY, https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.2096; truncated.
Article504 citationsdoi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.2096 - Psychedelics and Psychedelic-Assisted PsychotherapyReview649 citationsdoi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2019.19010035
- The Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelic Drugs: Past, Present, and FutureReview703 citationsdoi:10.1038/npp.2017.84
Newest work
- Psilocybin for Depression in VeteransClinical trialNCT07895134
- Analysis of Biomarkers from Visual Explorations in Individuals Suspected to Be in the Prodromal Phase of Parkinson's DiseasePreprintarXiv:2610.34524
- Right putaminal gray matter change tracks psychomotor recovery after accelerated iTBS in melancholic treatment-resistant depressionArticledoi:10.1016/j.jad.2026.122652
- Psilocybin for anhedonia in unipolar and bipolar depression: A systematic review of clinical and preclinical evidenceReviewdoi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2026.10.023
- Awakening as a Trait-Level Transformation of ConsciousnessPreprintarXiv:2610.20856
- Perceptions and Attitudes Regarding Postpartum Depression on Reddit: Inductive Content AnalysisArticledoi:10.2196/105765
- Sex differences in response to neurosteroid therapy after preterm birthReviewdoi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2026.101289
- Energy, Information, and the Limits of Neuropsychiatric ClassificationPreprintarXiv:2610.14095
- Feeling safe: an empirical-ethical analysis of vulnerability in (es)ketamine treatmentArticledoi:10.1186/s12910-026-01637-7
- Language-model ratings of depression reflect the rater more than the patientPreprintarXiv:2610.08501
Clinical trials
- Intensified Pharmacological Treatment for Schizophrenia, Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Depression After a First-time Treatment FailureClinical trialNCT05603104
- Relapse Prevention Trial Evaluating KarXT Treatment in SchizophreniaClinical trialNCT07686263
- A Long-term Safety Study of Esketamine Nasal Spray in Treatment-resistant DepressionClinical trialNCT02782104
- A Long-term, Safety and Efficacy Study of Intranasal Esketamine in Treatment-resistant DepressionClinical trialNCT02497287
- Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Two Administrations of COMP360 in Participants With TRDClinical trialNCT05711940
- A Study to Evaluate the Long-term Safety and Tolerability of Xanomeline and Trospium Chloride for the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders in Children and AdolescentsClinical trialNCT07424404
- A Study of Intranasal Esketamine Plus an Oral Antidepressant for Relapse Prevention in Adult Participants With Treatment-resistant DepressionClinical trialNCT02493868
- A Long-term Comparison of Esketamine Nasal Spray Versus Quetiapine Extended Release, Both in Combination With a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor/Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor, in Participants With Treatment Resistant Major Depressive DisorderClinical trialNCT04338321